Host Eddie Bee was the first to welcome me to Baltimore. A fascinating guy, Eddie invests in Baltimore’s “broken” communities, fixing up and living in abandoned properties in transitioning inner city neighborhoods. Eddie hosted for three nights–it was really great getting to know him while in town, and his personalized tour of the city was perhaps the best urban tour I’ve been given anywhere in America. Eddie is very inspiring–I may even end up following in his footsteps!
On what was about 20k for the day, coming up Hwy 2 from Glen Burnie, here is a pic from Batlimore’s famous inner harbor 
Many more pics are being taken in this instantly-fascinating, ultra-friendly and culturally rich city. More will soon be posted… :)
What a FANTASTIC treat!! I always love it when Rocio joins me on the road!! (This weekend in Maryland.)
I hadn’t met them before my final afternoon on foot into D.C.; however, Guy, Katy and daughters Nina & Lily joined me for that final afternoon of June 22 as I made my way across the Potomac River, through the National Mall and to the front of the White House. Friends of Christal Bardfield, whom I also met that afternoon, they’ve invited me in as I continue the journey from D.C. to the Atlantic– given that they live on my route, at Fort Meade.
We met this afternoon after only about 10k from Laurel. After they took me to pick up a free basket of groceries far from my route, we spent hours getting to know each other over the course of the evening. Guy & Katy have many interesting stories of getting to know each other at a small town Nebraska high school, meeting again years later, getting married and shuttling all over the country with the Army over the course of a dozen busy years. Daughter Nina has athrogryposis, a rare congenital disorder that is characterized by multiple joint contractures and can include muscle weakness and fibrosis. Her form, affecting her feet and wrists, is more mild than that of Stetson Bardfield, the happy, polite 12-year-old boy whom I also met as he and family joined me on that final day into D.C.
I’m hoping to inspire them to host more “strangers” in the future!!
Dad (Guy), Nina, Lily and Mom (Katy)!
After dinner, Nina & Lily go to their “office” to design some beautiful pictures for me!
Thank You, Nina!!
Thank You, Lily!!
As both Nina & Lily are huge fans of Pokemon, I can’t tell you how many times I submitted to “electro-shocks” from Pikachu!! –Once Lily learned she had that electro-shock power, she’d use it again, and again… and again!! Eventually, Mom taught me how to put up a “defense shield” against Pikachu’s electro-shocks
I enjoyed a wonderful experience today meeting the staff of Roots Market, who not only gave me a gift certificate for a basket of healthy groceries, they also provided a tour of the store and explained their “Conscious Corner.”
Host Katy Cipolla and her daughters came and enjoyed the tour and the market as well.
Staff member Katie, who studies integrative nutrition at a nearby college, explained the very sustainable approach of the business at Conscious Corner in Columbia, MD. They not only provide rich food to the community, they also feature high quality dog food, a vegan restaurant, and clothing and housewares for men and women. Wonderful people!!
“How do you spell ‘Darren’,” one Darren asks the other.
“D-A-R-R-E-N.”
“YES!!” they proclaim, as they both slap a strong high-five.
Darren Hoppert (left), who hosted me in Laurel, Maryland, came out to walk the final five miles with me to his Laurel home Tuesday night.
The other Darren– Darren B (right)– saw the signs and stopped us to hear the fuller story. Having quickly learned that one another was Darren, I learned that most Darrens don’t meet many other Darrens, and when they learned that they each spelled “Darren” in the easiest and simplest way, they gave each other this unique, “I-feel-you” high-five as they carried on that: “there’s no need for the letter ‘Y’ in Darren; no need to split ‘Darren’ into two words (e.g. Dare-Rynn),” etc. I don’t know that I’ll ever again be privileged to such a closely concurring conversation between freshly met Darrens, lol.
I went on to enjoy hours of conversation with Darren Hoppert– hearing of many motorcycle travels he’s done around the world, and hearing of many more places he’ll be journeying to across the years that come.
As he walked the first couple miles with me out of Laurel yesterday, at the farewell-for-now moment, he said, “I feel like I should say something…or something…” (unsure of what).
Me: “Just the fact that you’ve walked with me speaks so much greater than words, Darren– I love it when people walk with me!”
Ahh, GREAT people– and many more to come!!
Henry presents me with some food for the road, from Maryland’s Potomac Adventist Book & Health Food Store. Thanks Guys!!!
Of the many diverse religious experiences I’ve participated in across the miles, without a doubt I must say that the Adventists have an absolutely superior diet compared to all other Christian churches I’ve attended.
Host Anupam creates magic in the kitchen
Fork, spoon and knife have been the eating tools I’ve used for as long as I can remember. Though I’ve used chopsticks many times, I’ve never felt quite so comfortable with them. Tonight, however, a new and unexpected twist came along: eating rice, sauces, toppings, yogurt, etcetera with the raw hands, as natives of India eat. Hosts Anupam and Rohit, grad students at the University of Maryland’s College Park campus, actually put silverware next to my plate for me to use. However, as I saw them comfortably digging in with the right hand, skillfully shoveling loads of tasty Indian cuisine from plate to mouth, I couldn’t help but join them– especially since I felt a bit out-of-place being in such an environment for the first time.
Surprisingly, channeling a variety of running food types from plate to mouth was harder than I thought. Just grabbing a pile from the plate (caveman style) and shoving into the mouth makes one look and feel fresh from the abyss. They showed me how to skillfully scoop and grab with the first three fingers, and use the thumb to cleanly shovel it all into the mouth. (Fun stuff!!)
Anupam and Rohit are not only hosting me, they’ve invited me to a pair of out-of-this-universe, home-cooked Indian meals that Anupam has made. (WOW!!!) I’ve enjoyed many a meal in Indian restaurants, but I don’t know that I’ve ever enjoyed Indian food as delicious as Anupam’s…
The whole experienced unexpectedly brought “finger-licking good” to a whole new level!!!
Saying farewell to D.C. meant saying farewell to many fabulous friends, new and familiar. Among these wonderful people are Kristin Olson (big smile, red scarf) and roommates Shannon, Chelsea and Joel (not pictured: Graham and Josh).
During my time off, Kristin and her staff at the Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund reached out to me and invited me to their DC Cancer 5k, which was taking place on my birthday . I was happy to be back in time to join their 5k (Rocio came too!!), and was also warmly invited into the home Kristin shares with five wonderful and inspiring roommates.
I ended up spending three weeks in the greater DC area, working with local cancer-related organizations in addition to catching up with lovely peeps, doing digital work, and getting my body back up to speed for the many miles to come…
Though we may never be living within (easy) walking distance of one another’s homes, I love the soul-expanding feeling of gaining new lifelong friends .
Farewell for now, Chelsea, Kristin & Shannon!!
Up ahead in the distance…
The Basilica
Final steps from D.C., the other side of the street lies the next state: Maryland.
Welcome to Maryland– my kind of place!
After taking the time to meditate strongly and smile big on my way by the rainy-wet White House tonight, it was time to finally begin my DC-NY miles!!
(BTW: Please send good vibes to the White House and Capitol– for we need them to receive all the good energy possible… )
Late in 2006, after too many years of addiction and mental turmoil, as I was preparing to soon leave my job of seven years and venture into the unknown, I signed up to take a five-day meditation course being offered in central Portland. The cost was $450 for the whole thing, and though I wasn’t sure that the five-day course was the best course for me, it was the only course I knew of that was being offered, so I signed up out to take part in the “only game in town.”
Within perhaps a day of signing up, before confirming my attendance by making a payment, a very trustworthy friend suddenly showed up from an extended absence. Tom, who for years was the full-time elevator repairman at Portland’s World Trade Center, where I supervised the on-site security staff, appeared on a brief work break from other regional work he was doing. Tom called me down to the local coffee shop, and as I arrived, he informed me of a ten-day meditation course he had taken years earlier– a rigorous course conducted by experienced volunteers, at sites that only subsist from voluntary donations from students.
Though I’d known Tom for years, and didn’t even know that he’d ever learned to meditate, immediately I knew that the course Tom was guiding me to was the perfect course for me. I followed Tom’s guidance to Vipassana as taught by S.N. Goenka online, researched the website extensively, and felt very enthusiastic about signing up for my first ten-day course, held in January of 2007.
“The ten-day course was the most difficult thing I’ve done in my life, but it was also the most useful,” Tom explained to me.
Upon completing that first 2007 course, I would say the same.
Since my first course, I finally gained the upper hand on my boomerang addiction pattern, and haven’t smoked since. I’ve returned as a student six more times, and as a volunteer assistant a dozen times as well–giving me a grand total of over six months spent at meditation centers in since that first 2007 course.
I can’t even begin to explain just how extremely valuable a tool meditation has been in my daily life– EVERYTHING I do is beautifully enhanced so long as I continue my meditation practice daily (which, admittedly, has been a challenge on many occasions). Every major life decision I’ve made in recent years has been made while or after meditating. More than physical exercise, meditation was my preparation for walking across America– in addition to my best “medicine” across the miles. I meditate whenever unsure about which is the best road to take, literally and metaphorically. Should I begin teaching in 2014, I will meditate deeply in preparation to enter the classroom, as well as meditate daily throughout the school years.
I actually spent the first half of this month in a Goenka-taught meditation course, in southern Georgia– the first such course I’d taken in two years (I was long overdue). The course was great preparation for the challenges I face across the rest of 2013.
As I was preparing to leap into a whole new lifestyle in 2006, amid years of mental turmoil and addiction, I found the most important piece of the puzzle was to simply prepare to move forward–move ahead with the best tools and knowledge I had available to me. The intention brought my well-trusted friend Tom to me with angelic precision, arriving to guide my intention to the best of options for me at that moment in life. (Amen!)
I plan to meditate and volunteer with fellow students–many of whom have become dear friends of mine–plenty more in the years ahead.
S.N. Goenka, even though you and your assistant teachers prefer not to be thanked by your students, I’d like to thank you for the simple act of seeking your calling, finding it, and living it–for you’ve had a truly fantastic impact on the world around you.
May we all seek our unique calling, find it, and LIVE OUR PART as well…
Infinite Love,
GT
S.N. Goenka, 1924-2013